greek salad, revised.

for me, simplicity is key.  i like my frozen yogurt tart, my vodka unflavored, my spaghetti with marinara and my salads greek.  & i won't apologize for this.

last night while glued to the news about the fire progress, we opted to make something quick, easy and cool (temperatures are in the triple digits) for dinner.  i'm a huge fan of greek salads and often order them any chance i get.  since we're not only trying to be healthy but stop eating out as often, we decided to try our hand with our own version of this classic salad.

it no doubt, was a winner.

greek salad (serves 4)
1 head green leaf lettuce, washed and torn into pieces
3/4 cup grape tomatoes, halved
2 radishes, sliced
1/2 cucumber, sliced
1/4 cup peperoncinis, sliced
2 small cooked beets, sliced
1/4 cup kalamata olives, halved
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

greek salad dressing
we used this one from ina garten (i added more mustard than called for and was very happy with that decision).

chop and put all ingredients into a large bowl.  for an extra hearty salad add grilled chicken, lamb, shrimp, salmon or tofu (shown).  add dressing as needed and enjoy.

lime ice.

a good friend of mine lives on a beautiful citrus ranch in san diego and whenever i visit, she always presents me with a generous bag of fruit- everything from limes to grapefruit.

a sucker for citrus, i never say no- even when i have an overwhelming quantity. so the other week, she gifted me a huge bag of limes and while i happily accepted, i expressed my uncertainty with what to do with so many of these tart little gems.  after all, a girl can only make (and eat) so many key lime pies!

it was then that she shared this brilliant recommendation: make lime ice.

so simple.  so genius.  so right up my alley.

i got to work almost immediately.  we have a single-serving juicer (and while perfect for small, seedless batches- i'll definitely have to get something a bit more hefty for the oranges and grapefruits) and juiced every single lime she gave us.  in the end, i filled about 4 ice cube trays of ice (about 20 limes).

i let the trays freeze and emptied the frozen cubes into a ziplock bag.  now we have lime juice on hand for smoothies, soups, salsas and even gin & tonics.  plus, adding a lime ice cube into water makes for a really special treat.  enjoy!

whole orange cake.

one of the things i love most about living in san diego is the constant access to lemons, limes and oranges.  i'm not kidding when i say, they're everywhere.  once we have a place that's ours, i can't wait to plant a few citrus trees of our own, but for now we're happily accepting fruit from family & friends.

a few weeks ago i found myself with a ridiculous amount of oranges and too lazy to try my hand at orange marmalade, decided to try this whole orange cake recipe in the most recent sunset magazine.  i have an awesome recipe for a to-die-for lemon cake (eventually, i'll be sure to share that one as well) that sounded similar to this (minus the whole fruit), so i figured this cake was worth a shot.

honestly, if i'm going to bake any kind of cake, let it be a bundt cake.  in general, i love the way they look & how moist they tend to be.  i don't think i've ever had a dry bundt cake, have you?  this cake was no exception.  the cake was simple enough to mix together and since the oranges were added whole, there was no fussing with juicing, peeling, or zesting.  score.

we served this cake on the night of my birthday & everyone loved it.  the bitterness of the peels gave the cake a marmalade-like flavor and unlike most cakes, this one wasn't too sweet.  if i had to make any changes, i'd probably omit the frosting.  the cake can totally stand alone and would be a perfect addition to any party, potluck, or night in.  enjoy!

thoughts on bake 20.

since the end of july, i've been on a mission to bake 20 items by the end of the year.  when i first pulled this together, i knew i'd have a hard time finishing this challenge since not only do i not enjoy baking, but we were also moving across the country in october.

in the beginning, i loved this challenge.  i enjoyed looking for different items to bake, making each recipe, and taking photos of the successes and failures.  and yes, there were plenty of failures (since this challenge was about baking, i included the unsuccessful attempts in my count since i've heard, all great bakers have many great failures).  once we moved, this challenge was my nemesis.  finding recipes was the easy part- baking them felt like a chore.  i was working out of two kitchens most of the time (my parents & my in-laws) and in doing so, felt so overwhelmed about not only having the right ingredients, but also having the time to bake, clean up, and take a decent photo.  sometimes, after a recipe was baked, i'd stage a little photo shoot in hopes of getting a decent picture.  sometimes this worked, most of the time however, it didn't.

what i learned: despite my better attempts, i'm still not a baker.  i did find however, that when i put my mind to it & took my time when baking, i'm actually pretty good at it.  and to my surprise, i didn't mind doing it.  now, baking pies and bread are my favorite & these will certainly become regulars in our house from time to time.  also, i learned i love having my own kitchen.  it makes baking so much more enjoyable for me & when i had a kitchen of my own, it was much easier for me to be spontaneous and bake when i had a hankering for a specific good.  i'm certain this had something to do with my disdain for baking during the second half of this challenge.

moving forward: i'm still on the quest to conquer a few great bread recipes and to improve my skills with biscuits, muffins, and cakes.  as i continue to grow over the course of this year, i intend to add upon the knowledge i obtained during this relatively successful challenge.  as much as i didn't enjoy the second half, i'm so glad i took on this commitment & stuck with it.  discovering my inner baker (or not discovering) made, if not for anything else, an interesting experiment.

bake 20: coffee cake

recipe: ridiculously easy coffee cake

adjustments: this was a total crap shoot.  we didn't have eggs, sugar, sour cream or canned fruit.  so i guess, i used the recipe for the bisquick to milk ratio.  here's what i did instead: i added two cups of bisquick, one individual peach greek yogurt, 1/4 cup of milk with another 1/4 cup of orange juice.  then, just because it was the last recipe, i added about two tbs of cream cheese.  i mixed everything together, put it in a baking dish and baked it in a toaster oven for about 40 minutes.  

reviews: nothing like cutting this challenge down to the wire!  so here's the thing, technically, i guess you could consider this recipe cheating.  first of all, it goes completely against my eating philosophy since the main ingredient is bisquick.  secondly, well...it's made with bisquick.  but know what?  this was my challenge, so i say it counts :).  originally i had much loftier plans for my last bake 20 experiment, but a. & i decided to head up to the mountains for an impromptu new year's weekend with the family and surprisingly, i totally forgot everything i needed for a legit recipe.  thanks to some major motivation from my sisters, i experimented with what we had on hand and lo and behold, this recipe was devised.  on a good note, everyone loved it- so before i had a chance to take a decent photo, it was gobbled up...

this was #20 of the bake 20 challenge...i made it!
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over the next five months i'm going to try my hand at 20 different baked goods.  there's no specific order and no plan.  just making things that look good and hopefully in the process, finding a new appreciation of baking.  feel free to join me in the Bake 20 Challenge.

bake 20: basic focaccia

recipe: focaccia

adjustments: i used whole wheat flour in lieu of the all purpose flour.  i'm pretty sure i should have used a combination of the two- but considering it's all i had on hand, i think things turned out pretty well.

reviews: i wish i used a smaller pan (like a cake pan for example) for a thicker bread.  the focaccia had great flavor and appearance, but was a bit too crunchy for my taste.  also, per the recipe, you cook the focaccia in half a cup of olive oil.  maybe it was because my bread was so thin, but this was definitely too much and made for extra oily pieces.

this was #19 of the bake 20 challenge...one more, fingers crossed that i make it!
............................................................................................................................................................

over the next five months i'm going to try my hand at 20 different baked goods.  there's no specific order and no plan.  just making things that look good and hopefully in the process, finding a new appreciation of baking.  feel free to join me in the Bake 20 Challenge.

bake 20: sour cream sugar cookies

recipe: sour cream sugar cookies

adjustments: none.  this is a classic holiday cookie in our home and adjustments to this recipe would be blasphemous.

reviews: as i just mentioned, we make these year after year after year.  i do recommend when rolling, to keep the dough about 1/8th of an inch thick.  cookies that are too thin taste more like the frosting than the cookie...but if that's your cup of tea, well...the thinner the better!  also, i love the nutmeg's surprising flavor, so i'm usually a bit heavy handed when measuring it out.

this was #18 of the bake 20 challenge...two more to go!
............................................................................................................................................................

over the next five months i'm going to try my hand at 20 different baked goods.  there's no specific order and no plan.  just making things that look good and hopefully in the process, finding a new appreciation of baking.  feel free to join me in the Bake 20 Challenge.

bake 20: red velvet crinkle cookies

it's that time of year...christmas cookie baking season!  & it just happens that i have three (!) more baking challenges ahead of me.  any guesses as to what the remainder of these bake 20 posts might be?!? :)  actually, my goal is to stay away from cookies- and while i might do one more, i have two non-cookie recipes i'm hoping to try!  also, my apologies for the awful picture.  late night photo shoots are not proving to provide the best results.  

recipe: red velvet crinkle cookies (plus it comes with a super-sweet printable!)

adjustments: since i'm not much of a baker (though thanks to this challenge, i will definitely say i've become much more comfortable with the combination of eggs, butter, & sugar) i didn't make any adjustments to this recipe. 

reviews: originally, i was planning to make these for a cookie exchange i'm attending on thursday- but i'm kinda glad i didn't.  while these are totally festive- they're definitely missing something...as unanimously agreed by all my taste testers.  next time i attempt to make these (and yes, there will be a next time), i'm going to add a bit more cocoa and possibly some dark chocolate chips.

this was #17 of the bake 20 challenge...almost there!
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over the next five months i'm going to try my hand at 20 different baked goods.  there's no specific order and no plan.  just making things that look good and hopefully in the process, finding a new appreciation of baking.  feel free to join me in the Bake 20 Challenge.

bake 20: spinach feta quiche

quiche is one of my favorite go-to dinner recipes.  for the longest time, i thought it was such a process to make and to be honest, quiche intimidated me.  one of my good friends from our alabama days made quiche all the time for her family and basically convinced me it wasn't so hard.  ever since then, i make it when i know i have to fend for myself (since a. happens to dislike quiche) or we have an abundance of veggies that need to be consumed quickly.

as it turns out, i'm one the only person living in this house who likes quiche.  seriously?  luckily, everyone who tried a slice (to humor me of course) enjoyed it, and that's saying a lot from a non-quiche household.  i swear it's like i married into an extraterrestrial family...

recipes: spinach & feta quiche* and my go-to pie crust

adjustments: i don't measure anything and just add things to taste (obviously tasting before the veggie mixture goes into the raw eggs and milk).  just take note when adding cheese, that everything will get a bit saltier.  that said, season per your tastes, but consider going light on the salt.

reviews: well, my sister in law and i loved this quiche.  a., who's not a fan of quiche humored me and exclaimed he'd probably eat it again...oh well, all i can do is try, right?!  this would be an awesome recipe to add asparagus or mushrooms- and if you're a meat eater, maybe a bit of bacon.

*sauté 1 yellow onion and garlic in olive oil.  season onions and garlic.  in a large bowl, whisk 5 eggs (or 6 egg whites) together adding about a 1/4-1/2 cup of milk.  season with pepper.  into egg mixture add onion and garlic mixture, 4-5 cups of fresh spinach (this is going to seem like a lot, but don't worry, it will wilt when cooking) and one 8 oz container of feta cheese.  mix until everything is thoroughly combined with eggs and pour into a semi-cooked pie crust.  cover with foil & bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.  remove foil and bake about 10 minutes longer, or until crust is golden brown and a toothpick, when inserted into the center, comes out clean.  then, enjoy!

this was #16 of the bake 20 challenge...almost there!
............................................................................................................................................................

over the next five months i'm going to try my hand at 20 different baked goods.  there's no specific order and no plan.  just making things that look good and hopefully in the process, finding a new appreciation of baking.  feel free to join me in the Bake 20 Challenge.

bake 20: one crust, two ways.

originally, i had every intention of making only one pizza.  but the dough was so easy and fast that i just couldn't help myself.  truth be told, i'm a sucker for pizza- anytime of the day.  hence, why i'm now sharing a more traditional dinner pizza & a less traditional breakfast pizza.  enjoy!

recipes: wild mushroom pizza with truffle oil & my go-to breakfast pizza*

adjustments: for the wild mushroom, we did everything per the directions with the exception of replacing the cremini mushrooms with button mushrooms since that's all our local grocer had available. for the breakfast pizza, i used the dough recipe from the mushroom pizza and added some crushed garlic, fresh minced basil & thyme to the dough before letting it rise.  the dough was awesomely flavorful.

reviews: make this mushroom pizza and i guarantee you'll be making it again and again and again.  we used a pampered chef pizza stone, and why a. and i haven't had one of these in our kitchen repertoire is beyond me.  it made the crust crunchy & worlds better than your average oven baked pizza crust.  as for the breakfast pizza- i'm a fan of any opportunity to clean the fridge.  i love how easy it is to make this pizza and believe it or not, it tends to be an impressive breakfast entree should you have quests in town.  we don't make breakfast pizza often, but when we do, it's always a huge hit.

*for the breakfast pizza: assemble the dough per directions and while it's baking, sauté diced onions and pepper in olive oil.  scramble 4-6 eggs and once cooked, add tomatoes, black beans, cilantro, avocado, etc.  season with salt and pepper.  once crust is 90% cooked, pour egg mixture onto crust, top with cheese and put back in oven.  bake until cheese melts.  cool for 10 minutes and serve.

this was #14 & #15 of the bake 20 challenge...almost there!
............................................................................................................................................................

over the next five months i'm going to try my hand at 20 different baked goods.  there's no specific order and no plan.  just making things that look good and hopefully in the process, finding a new appreciation of baking.  feel free to join me in the Bake 20 Challenge.

bake 20: pumpkin pie

progress is being made.  slowly for sure, but i'm confident i'll reach my goal before the years end.  this pumpkin pie was one of the two pies i made for this year's thanksgiving dinner.  i'm a huge fan of pumpkin pie- so i knew this was one recipe i had to take on.  and i'm so glad i did.  now if only i had remembered to take a decent photo.

recipe: alton brown's pumpkin pie with this crust

adjustments: i chose to make a traditional crust since i used gingersnaps for the cheesecake.  aslo, i'm a huge fan of spicier pumpkin pie, so i doubled up on the spices in this recipe.  turns out i wasn't the only one who preferred a bit more kick, so it was a good decision.

review: if i say so myself, it was a great pie.  for some reason it was a bit mousse-ier than i remember pumpkin pie to be, but trust me, that wasn't an issue at all.  also, the added spice made the flavor awesome.

this was #13 of the bake 20 challenge.
............................................................................................................................................................

over the next five months i'm going to try my hand at 20 different baked goods.  there's no specific order and no plan.  just making things that look good and hopefully in the process, finding a new appreciation of baking.  feel free to join me in the Bake 20 Challenge.

bake 20: maple cheesecake with roasted pears.

knowing i still have a ways to go on this challenge, i offered to make dessert for thanksgiving dinner.  i opted for one traditional recipe, and one less so: a maple cheesecake with roasted pears.  i have to say, if there was a throw down between the two desserts, it would have been close- but this one definitely took the cake.  ha!

recipe: maple cheesecake with roasted pears with an easy press-in pie crust

adjustments: i didn't make any adjustments to the cheesecake but opted to use gingersnaps for the crust. gingersnaps are my favorite cookies- so anywhere i can add them, i will.  the springform pan i used was bigger than the recommended size, so the cheesecake was much thinner than i had hoped.  however, with 12 plus people, the thinner cake went much further than a standard cheesecake might have.

review:  awesome.  totally and unequivocally awesome.  everyone raved about this cheesecake and went back for seconds and thirds.  i was nervous about experimenting with a thanksgiving dessert, but the maple and pear and gingersnap flavors married well.  i think this cheesecake will become a holiday tradition.

this was #12 of the bake 20 challenge.
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over the next five months i'm going to try my hand at 20 different baked goods.  there's no specific order and no plan.  just making things that look good and hopefully in the process, finding a new appreciation of baking.  feel free to join me in the Bake 20 Challenge.

bake 20: mini apple empanadas.

here's a super-easy recipe for the holiday season.  you can honestly do this one of two ways: with homemade or store bought dough.  in my opinion, homemade dough makes everything better- however, that takes time...and that can be hard to come by during the holiday season.  the best part of this recipe?  you can use whatever filling you desire.  the possibilities are endless.

recipe: pie dough & apple filling

adjustments: well, i didn't make a full pie obviously, so i only made about half the filling recipe.  i then rolled out the pie dough and used a large round cookie cutter to press little circles into the dough.  then i added the filling, folded the dough over & pressed the edges down with a fork.  i over-filled the pies so unfortunately they cracked and spilled quite a bit during the baking process however, they were just as delish.

review: i love bite size morsels.  much like any pie, they were perfect with ice cream.  seeing how easy these were to make (especially with store bought pie dough), i'm excited about all the possibilities.

this was #11 of the bake 20 challenge.
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over the next five months i'm going to try my hand at 20 different baked goods.  there's no specific order and no plan.  just making things that look good and hopefully in the process, finding a new appreciation of baking.  feel free to join me in the Bake 20 Challenge.

bake 20: overnight sticky buns.

good news: this challenge has turned into a family affair!  after watching yet another episode of alton brown's good eats, a. was antsy to make something sweet.  we settled on sticky buns.  & i'm so glad we did.

recipe: overnight cinnamon rolls

adjustments: we had to make the dough twice.  the first dough didn't rise and after making the second dough, it looked as though it might have the same demise.  however, we moved the dough to the much-warmer upstairs, and the dough took off.  due to our dough issues, we actually didn't assemble to rolls until the morning.  but this was okay since everything turned out wonderfully.

review: while these take a long time (overnight to be exact), they're definitely worth the wait.  the rolls are gooey and perfect for an impressive breakfast.

this was #10 of the bake 20 challenge.
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over the next five months i'm going to try my hand at 20 different baked goods.  there's no specific order and no plan.  just making things that look good and hopefully in the process, finding a new appreciation of baking.  feel free to join me in the Bake 20 Challenge.

bake 20: pumpkin bread with cream cheese filling.

my sister, is a rock star.  knowing i needed some serious help to finish my bake 20 challenge, she offered to teach me a new and fantastically yummy fall recipe.  this pumpkin bread is not only delish, but so versatile   it makes a great bread, bundt cake, or even muffins.  despite the amount of ingredients & steps, it's also surprisingly simple.  one last awesome factor: it's perfect for the holidays.

pumpkin bread with cream cheese filling

for pumpkin bread:
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
6 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups canned pumpkin (or learn how to make your own)
3 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans (optional)

cream cheese filling:
1 8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice

streusel topping:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch salt
1/4 stick of butter

directions:
preheat over to 325.  sift dry ingredients and set aside.  beat eggs in large bowl, slowly adding oil and sugar.  cream well.  add pumpkin puree and vanilla.  slowly add dry ingredients, mixing well.  add nuts.  chill batter in the fridge while making cream cheese frosting and streusel.

for the cream cheese filling, beat egg in large bowl.  add sugar and beat until combined.  add cream cheese, vanilla and lemon juice, beating until smooth.  set aside.

for streusel, mix dry ingredients together.  cut butter into the mixture.  mixture will be crumbly and sandy looking.  set aside in a cool, dry place.

spoon pumpkin batter into the bottom of buttered pans (two 4x8 inch loaf pans, one bundt pan, or four muffin tins), a little less than halfway.  create a well in the middle of the batter and add cream cheese frosting with a spoon.  add more pumpkin mixture on top of the cream cheese filling, filling the pans 3/4 of the way.  add streusel to the top of the bread/muffins and bake for about 1 hour, or until toothpick comes out clean.

note: when cooked, cream cheese frosting shouldn't be seen from the sides, only the center of the bread/muffins.

a huge thanks to lindsay for helping me get one step closer to my goal!

this was #9 of the bake 20 challenge.
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over the next five months i'm going to try my hand at 20 different baked goods.  there's no specific order and no plan.  just making things that look good and hopefully in the process, finding a new appreciation of baking.  feel free to join me in the Bake 20 Challenge.

bake 20: epic fail

i was debating whether or not i should share this bake 20 endeavor.  but after much speculation, realized blogging isn't all about the win- or at least this blog isn't.  it's about keeping it real.  and anyone who is learning how to bake, cook or just boil water, is bound to have a few kitchen failures under their belts.  this is one of mine.

recipe: an "easy" jalapeno-cheese bread

adjustments: none.  i followed the recipe to the letter.  after letting the dough sit for over an hour with no visible rise, i figured a loaf of bread wouldn't be the most successful decision.  so i opted to make biscuits.

review: the biscuits didn't rise in the oven and while their flavor was fantastic, they were a bit like hockey pucks. regardless, we enjoyed them with black bean chili & lucky for us, radley didn't mind the jalapenos.

this was #8 of the bake 20 challenge.

............................................................................................................................................................

over the next five months i'm going to try my hand at 20 different baked goods.  there's no specific order and no plan.  just making things that look good and hopefully in the process, finding a new appreciation of baking.  feel free to join me in the Bake 20 Challenge.

november is buy local month.

yesterday, syracuse officially declared november "buy local" month. rad, right? personally, I couldn't be more proud of this fine city for bringing this initiative to the table, doing their part in making local shopping main stream & celebrating all the awesome, home-grown vendors.

as far as i know, san diego has yet to do anything like this, but regardless- my plan is to join syracuse in this challenge. this isn't going to be easy. but it can be done.

my greatest challenge will be eating local. currently a. & i are staying with his parents. their idea of local is anything you can buy at the community costco...obviously not what we're going for here. but it's also a great way to educate & hopefully change a few habits, even if it's only for a month.

here are my rules:
1. eat as local as possible. buy as many basics from road stands and farmers markets as possible.

2. when eating out, eat at local mom & pop establishments, preferably ones that support community agriculture and other vendors. basically, no chains allowed.

3. if locally grown/produced basics can't be found at a market, purchase a brand made in-state. in my case, if I can't find local milk, i need to find a brand that produces dairy in california.

4. be realistic. it's highly unlikely there's a local toilet paper vendor in our city. but there's no way in hell i'm going to use leaves in lieu of tp just to practice buying local. everything in moderation, including moderation.

5. research. before jumping the gun to buy mega-brand shampoo, i need to do a bit of research to see what's out there. just because it's not at the farmers market doesn't mean it doesn't exist. as the saying goes, you don't know what you don't know. & knowledge is power.

6. waste not. i'm going to continue to use what i already have, no point in wasting anything during this challenge. once i run out and need to purchase more, those said purchases will be as local as possible.

even the smallest changes can leave a lasting impact. so if you're up for it, join me. let your dollars do the talking. in corporate america, that's one of the loudest voices out there.

homemade candy corn.

well, hello november!  kinda crazy that you're here already.  i hope each of you had a fantastic halloween.  ours was pretty rad and involved two separate trick or treating events.  yep, since we've mastered the double thanksgivings & christmases, we thought we'd figure out halloween as well.  lucky for us, it was a success.

the night before halloween, a., my sister & i embarked on making homemade candy corn.  while on our road trip, a. and i watched an episode of good eats, and knew homemade candy making needed to become a halloween tradition.

recipe: alton brown's homemade candy corn

adjustments: none really.  we didn't have silicone mats, so we used parchment paper instead- and it worked just fine.

review: these are awesome.  they definitely taste different than store bought candy corn, but in a good way.  once the candy portion is made and dyed, this would be an awesome activity for kids as well.  it's totally a keeper in our house!

homemade apple chips.

recipe: homemade apple chips

adjustments: using local and fresh picked apples, we thinly sliced the desired amount on a mandoline.  wanting to use a fancy piece of kitchen equipment, we chose to use a dehydrator opposed to baking.  i'm sure this process took a lot longer, but the apple chips still turned out fantastic.  for flavor, i experimented with a honey cinnamon blend for one batch and a honey pepper mix for another.  overall, the honey pepper mix wasn't well received and won't be made again.

review: awesome.  these will definitely be a fall staple...and heck, an easy snack year round. 

bake 20: the perfect apple pie

just in time for fall, the perfect apple pie (& crust).  one of our neighbors happens to be an excellent chef/baker and was super-excited to teach me the secrets behind a picture-perfect apple pie.  my only regret?  that i didn't take any photos during the process.  total blogger failure.  oh well, the pie turned out fabulously- and really, that's all that matters.

recipes: apple pie filling & apple pie crust

adjustments: we made the double crust recipe for this pie (bottom and top crusts) and for the filling, we actually added everything into a bowl and didn't cook the ingredients on the stove prior to adding it to the pie.  by doing this, we were able to pile the filling high to give the pie that story-book effect.  i also omitted the nutmeg from the filling.  not that i have an aversion to it or anything, we just chose not to use it.  for the apples i used a combination of granny smith and cortland.  & since i love tart pies, so we also went easy on the sugar.

review: from the minute we pulled it out of the oven, the pie was gorgeous.  picture-perfect, golden, and smelled like heaven.  i brought it to game night and everyone loved it.  i would love to find a reliable crust recipe that doesn't require crisco for future pies...so i'll be on the hunt for that.  otherwise, the crust was flaky, had nice flavor and the tart apple filling would have perfectly complimented vanilla ice cream.

this was #7 of the bake 20 challenge.

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over the next five months i'm going to try my hand at 20 different baked goods.  there's no specific order and no plan.  just making things that look good and hopefully in the process, finding a new appreciation of baking.  feel free to join me in the Bake 20 Challenge.